1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a tail gate which covers a rear portion of a vehicle body so as to freely open and close the rear portion of the vehicle body.
2. Description of the Background Art
As is well known, an opening and closing body provided at a rear end of a vehicle such as an automobile or the like, so-called lift gate, tail gate, rear gate, backdoor or the like (hereinafter, these opening and closing bodies are generally called as a xe2x80x9ctail gatexe2x80x9d), which covers an opening of a rear end portion of a vehicle body so as to freely open and close the opening in a vertical direction is normally formed by combining an inner plate member (an inner panel) and an outer plate member (an outer panel), forming a space portion (a panel space portion) between both elements and bonding peripheral edge portions and their vicinities of both of the panels to each other. In this case, an inner side of the inner panel facing to an interior side of a passenger room is generally covered by a cover (an interior trim) which is, for example, formed by a synthetic resin.
In such a tail gate, as a locking and unlocking mechanism of the tail gate, there is normally arranged a lock mechanism provided with a latch capable of engaging with a striker fixed to a vehicle body. The lock mechanism generally includes a so-called mechanical type lock mechanism which is provided with a latch assembly, a key cylinder assembly and a handle assembly as basic constituting elements. The latch assembly has a latch capable of engaging with a striker fixed to the vehicle body. The key cylinder assembly is to switch lock and unlock states of the latch assembly from an external side on the basis of a key operation. And the handle assembly is to switch engagement and disengagement states of the latch with respect to the striker from the external side on the basis of a handle operation.
In this locking and unlocking mechanism, the key cylinder assembly and the handle assembly are connected to the latch assembly via a key cylinder rod and a handle rod respectively.
In mounting such a locking and unlocking mechanism to the tail gate, conventionally, it is common to all of a basic constituting element such as each assembly above mentioned and each connecting rod are arranged within a panel space formed between the inner panel and the outer panel. That is, the above-mentioned each constituting element is covered with only one panel (the outer panel) with respect to the outer side thereof.
However, in this conventional construction, even when the tail gate is closed and the latch assembly is locked, it is relatively easy to unlock the key cylinder rod illegally by bursting through the only one panel (the outer panel) so as to pierce a hole from the outer side of the vehicle, for example, by using a pointed hard rod-like body or the like. That is, there is a problem that the lock can be illegally celled for a relatively short time.
Further, recently, the thickness of steel panels forming the vehicle body is determined to be thinner as possible to reduce the weight of the vehicle body that is requested from a view point of saving fuel cost. In the case of the outer panel of the tail gate, its thickness is set to be very thin, for example 0.7 mm. Thereby, the outer panel is pierced more easily from the outer side of the vehicle. Furthermore, a tail gate of which both of inner and outer panel are made of synthetic resin is getting to be employed in practical use.
Furthermore, recently, a so-called keyless entry system, passive keyless entry system or the like are know and are already employed in practical use. They directly drives a latch driving actuator of the latch assembly in accordance with a remote control utilizing mainly a wireless communication means or the like so as to switch the lock and unlock states of the latch assembly.
These systems using remote control do not require key itself, therefore, key cylinder and key cylinder rod are not provided. Even in such a system, it is possible to unlock illegally the latch assembly, by bursting through the outer panel so as to pierce a hole and operating directly the latch assembly from the outer side of the vehicle.
Against such an illegal unlocking, it may be considered to cover the outside of the latch assembly by a separate cover member. However, in this case, there arise some problems such that number of parts is increased, a complex assembly process is required in order to mount the cover member and inner structure of the tail gate become to be complicated.
In the vehicle in which a rear portion of the vehicle body is covered so as to freely open and close by the tail gate as mentioned above, a license plate (a so-called number plate) of the vehicle is often mounted to the tail gate. Accordingly, in this case, a lamp (a so-called license lamp) for lighting up the number plate in the night or the like is also mounted to the tail gate.
In the case that the license plate is mounted to the tail gate, it is general that an opening portion is provided at least in the outer panel of the tail gate, and a license lamp unit is mounted to the opening portion. In this case, the license lamp must be detachably mounted for a maintenance such as a replacement of the lamp or the like. That is, the license lamp unit is detachably mounted to the opening portion, for example, by using screw members or the like.
Accordingly, the key cylinder rod in an inner portion of the tail gate can be easily operated from the outer side of the vehicle through the opening portion, for example, by detaching the screw members or the like so as to detach the license lamp unit. That is, even in a state in which the tail gate is dosed and the latch assembly is locked, the key cylinder rod is easily unlocked illegally from outer side of the vehicle through the opening portion by detaching the license lamp unit from the opening portion. As a result, the lock of the latch assembly can be easily and illegally cancelled for a short time.
This invention is made to resolve the above-mentioned technical problems. A first basic object of the present invention is to make it harder to carry out an illegal locking and unlocking operation with respect to a tail gate, with a relatively simple constitution and without increasing number of parts. And a second basic object of the present invention is to prevent a key cylinder rod from being operated from outer side of the vehicle through an opening portion for mounting a license lamp unit to a tail gate even when it is detached from the opening portion.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structure of a tail gate formed by bonding peripheral edge portions and their vicinities of an inner panel and an outer panel to each other, and covering a rear portion of a vehicle body so as to freely open and dose, wherein a cover is arranged in an inner side of said inner panel, and wherein a lock apparatus provided with a latch capable of engaging with a striker fixed to a vehicle body is disposed between said inner panel and said cover.
According to the structure mentioned above, the lock apparatus having the latch capable of engaging with the striker fixed to the vehicle body is arranged between the inner panel and the cover body. That is, the lock apparatus is covered by two panel members (the inner and outer panel members) in an outer side thereof. As a result, even in the case of bursting through the outer panel from the external side of the vehicle, for example, by a pointed hard rod-like body or the like in a state in which the tail gate is dosed and the lock apparatus is locked, the lock member can not be unlocked until further bursting through the inner panel so as to pierce a hole. That is, in comparison with the conventional structure in which the outer side of the lock apparatus is covered by only one outer panel, it is hard to illegally unlock and it is possible to effectively prevent a theft damage.
In this case, it is possible to make it harder to carry out an illegal locking and unlocking operation with respect to a tail gate, without increasing number of parts, by employing a relatively simple constitution in which the lock apparatus is disposed at inner side than the inner panel.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned lock apparatus is provided with a latch assembly having a latch capable of engaging with the striker fixed to the vehicle body and a key cylinder assembly connected to said latch assembly via a key cylinder rod, and wherein said key cylinder rod is substantially extended between the key cylinder assembly and the latch assembly within a space between the inner panel and the cover.
In this case, the key cylinder rod connects the key cylinder assembly to the latch assembly substantially extending between the key cylinder assembly and the latch assembly in the space portion formed between the inner panel and the cover body. That is, the key cylinder rod is covered by two panel members (the inner and outer panel members) in an outer side thereof. As a result, even in the case of bursting through the outer panel from the external portion, for example, by a pointed hard rod-like body or the like in a state in which the tail gate is closed and the latch assembly is locked, the key cylinder rod can not be unlocked until further bursting through the inner panel so as to pierce a hole. That is, in comparison with the conventional structure in which the outer side of the key cylinder rod is covered by only one outer panel, it is hard to illegally unlock and it is possible to effectively prevent a theft damage.
In this case, it is possible to make it harder to carry out an illegal locking and unlocking operation with respect to a tail gate, without increasing number of parts, by employing a relatively simple constitution in which the key cylinder rod is disposed at inner side than the inner panel.
In one embodiment of the present invention, vertical walls protruding at least from any one of said inner panel and the outer panel are disposed at both sides of said latch assembly in a widthwise direction of the vehicle body.
In this case, it is possible to effectively prevent the illegal operation against the latch assembly from the side portion in the widthwise direction of the vehicle.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a cover wall extending between said latch assembly and the outer panel is disposed in a rear side of said latch assembly in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
In this case, it is possible to effectively prevent the illegal operation against the latch assembly from the rear side of the vehicle.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a support portion for supporting said key cylinder assembly is provided at least in any one of said inner panel and the cover.
In this case, the key cylinder assembly is supported by the support portion. Thereby, the key cylinder assembly does not drop out easily even in the case that the impact is applied to the key cylinder, also thereby making it harder to carry out an illegal locking and unlocking operation.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structure of a tail gate formed by bonding peripheral edge portions and their vicinities of an inner panel and an outer panel to each other, and covering a rear portion of a vehicle body so as to freely open and close, wherein an opening portion for mounting a license lamp unit is formed at least in any one of said inner panel and the outer panel, said license lamp unit is detachably mounted to said opening portion, wherein a lock apparatus provided with a latch assembly having a latch capable of engaging with a striker fixed to a vehicle body and a key cylinder assembly connected to said latch assembly via a key cylinder rod extending in an inner side at least from said outer panel is arranged at least in an inner side of said outer panel, and wherein a protection wall for regulating an access to said key cylinder rod is provided between said opening portion and said key cylinder rod.
According to the structure mentioned above, since the protection wall for regulating the access to the key cylinder rod is provided between the key cylinder rod and the opening portion for mounting the license lamp unit, the access to the key cylinder rod from the opening portion is regulated by the protection wall even when the license lamp unit is taken out from the mounting opening portion, it is hard to carry out the illegal unlocking operation of the key cylinder rod from the opening portion, and it is possible to increase the theft prevention effect.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the protection wall is provided with a pair of left and right standing walls protruding from both of left and right sides of said opening portion toward the inner side of the tail gate, and a standing wall protruding at least from a side corresponding to said key cylinder rod in both of the upper and lower sides of said opening portion toward the inner side of the tail gate.
In this case, since the protection wall is provided with a pair of left and right standing walls protruding from both of the left and right sides of the opening portion toward the inner side of the tail gate, and the standing wall protruding toward the inner side of the tail gate at least from the side corresponding to the key cylinder rod in both of the upper and lower sides of the opening portion, the access to the key cylinder rod from the opening portion can be securely regulated.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the protection wall is provided with a standing wall extending substantially along said key cylinder rod at least in a side corresponding to said opening portion of said key cylinder rod, and protruding toward the inner side of the tail gate.
In this case, the protection wall is provided with the standing wall extending substantially along the key cylinder rod at least in the side corresponding to the opening portion of the key cylinder rod, and protruding toward the inner side of the tail gate, the access to the key cylinder rod from the opening portion can be securely regulated.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the inner panel and the outer panel are made of a synthetic resin.
In this case, since the inner panel and the outer panel of the tail gate are made of the synthetic resin, it is extremely easy to carry out the forming process in comparison with the case made of the steel plate. And, a freedom of setting a shape is high and a forming can be easily carried out in comparison with the case made of the steel plate, at the time of designing the shape of the inner panel so as to dispose the key cylinder rod within the cover space portion between the inner panel and the cover body, further providing with the vertical wall protruding integrally from the inner panel at both sides in the widthwise direction of the vehicle of the latch assembly, furthermore providing with the protruding walls protruding from the outer panel in the side of the back face of the latch assembly, furthermore providing the lamp unit mounting opening portion and at the time of providing the protection wall for regulating the access to the key cylinder rod between the license lamp unit mounting opening portion and the key cylinder rod. In addition, a farther weight saving of the tail gate is achieved.